Whittier Choice Neighborhood Initiative

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods Initiative provides planning and implementation funding to develop comprehensive, community-driven plans to revitalize distressed housing and transform neighborhoods. It builds on the success of the HOPE VI program to support affordable housing and community development. The goal is to improve the lives of area residents by creating safe streets, better access to quality educational and job opportunities that promote family self-sufficiency, a healthier environment and vibrant mixed-income/mixed-use communities.

In December 2016, HUD awarded to the Boston Housing Authority and the residents of the Whittier Street public housing development a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods implementation grant. The grant follows a three year community engagement process involving resident meetings, neighborhood workshops, surveys, youth focus groups, and public hearings.

The $30 million grant will leverage an additional $260 million in private and public funds to transform Whittier Street and the surrounding community by providing educational and economic opportunities for low income residents and investing in community amenities and infrastructure that will improve the quality of life for all residents in the lower Roxbury neighborhood.

The partnership is led by the Boston Housing Authority, the City of Boston, the Whittier Street Tenant Task Force, Madison Park Development Corporation, Preservation of Affordable Housing, and Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative.

For more information about the Whittier Choice Neighborhood program, please visit here.